Dorothy Skidmore's Obituary
Dorothy Evelyne Harrell Skidmore, 95 years of age, of Lucas, Texas peacefully went to be with her Heavenly Father on Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 with her family at her side. Services are scheduled for 10:00am this Saturday at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas where she will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband Roger.
Dorothy was born in Dallas, Texas on January 18, 1926. Dorothy had many friends during her youth and was particularly close with the Burden and Hixon families of Dallas. Some of those close friends left to serve in WWII and Dorothy wrote many a letter to lift their spirits and remind them of happier times while they were overseas. And while some did not return from battle, Dorothy always held them dear in her heart and in her memories for the rest of her life.
Dorothy went to work after the war, taking the streetcar every day to and from her office at the Navy Department. On one of those street cars she would meet her future husband, our beloved father, Rijah. Rijah, or Roger to the rest of his family, had just returned from WWII where he had served in Georgia and in Alaska. He and Dorothy married on the 23rd of December 1948 and would settle down in the Dallas area to raise a family.
Dorothy and Rijah purchased a farm in Lucas, Texas in 1950, and over time would build a home there and raise their two sons, David Clinton Skidmore, and Eric Hunter Skidmore on what was still the wide-open prairie of North Texas.
The farm became a favorite gathering place for the extended Harrell and Skidmore families hosting many a Fourth of July celebration and years of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners hosted by Dorothy with lavish meals all supplied by Dorothy’s delicious cooking.
After many years, Dorothy returned to the workforce taking a job at Rockwell International where she worked for almost 10 years. With her sons grown and living away, and Roger also working out of town for several years, Dorothy faithfully held down the fort at home to which her family would always return.
Roger passed in 2001, and Dorothy eventually sold the farm in Lucas and moved into her own home in McKinney, Texas. At the age of 87, she would eventually move to Atlanta, Georgia to be close to her son, Eric, and his family. Dorothy was a resident of the Gracemont Assisted Living facility in Cumming, Georgia at the time of her passing.
Nothing was more important to Dorothy than her family, from taking care of her parents in their later years, to providing a loving home to her husband and sons. Her grandchildren, Ashley, Connor, and Alayna were her joy, and nothing brought her more pleasure than getting to hold her great-granddaughter Sophia. Dorothy always placed her family first and sacrificed much throughout her life for the ones she loved. We will dearly miss you Mom, and Grandma and will hold you dear in our hearts until we are joined again with you and Dad in Heaven.
Dorothy is preceded in death by her husband, Rijah G. Skidmore, her father, Lloyd Harrell, mother Elizabeth Harrell, and brother Arthur Harrell. She is survived by her sons David and Eric Skidmore, their wives Shirley and Traci Skidmore, grandchildren Ashley and her husband Mike Ciandella, Connor, and Alayna Skidmore, and great-granddaughter Sophia Ciandella.
What’s your fondest memory of Dorothy?
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Share a story where Dorothy's kindness touched your heart.
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